


Enterprise - Prologue

by thepunctuator001



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:40:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29008434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepunctuator001/pseuds/thepunctuator001
Summary: Events leading up to T'Pol joining Enterprise. A possible explanation why she changed her opinion of Humans and their mission. A building of goodwill which helped her accept the benefits of cooperation and rise to the challenges ahead. Mild language.
Kudos: 6





	1. Emotions

Sitting in the Vulcan Compound gardens a diminutive figure sat cross-legged on the lawn watching the Earth sun rise into the morning sky. The ground was covered in frost however a thermal mat and portable heater provided acceptable warmth to the meditating woman her breath creating hot little clouds which vanished as soon as they appeared.

The assignment orders had been received. Enterprise and a Human crew. It was an unwelcome challenge which would deliver no satisfaction to T'Pol. Had Vulcan Command decided to punish her interest in Human culture? Given her a mission that would be doomed to failure as a lesson? It did not matter. The orders were clear - join the Enterprise crew in 24 hour's time, rank Sub-Commander, reporting directly to Captain Archer.

Captain Jonathan Archer. The same Human who had yesterday threatened to knock her to the ground over a disagreement regarding the Klingon spy. 'Knock her on her butt' was the phrase he had used…. Soval had assured T'Pol afterwards that this should not concern her. Colourful idioms peppered the Human language and their usage was designed to demonstrate the strength of their feelings rather than to be be treated literally. Humans typically 'blew off steam' and afterwards would continue as if the preceding conflict had never taken place. Illogical.

How immature to make threats without an intention of carrying them out. How uncouth to offer violence to a Vulcan whose life was dedicated to non-violence. T'Pol stopped… analysing the emotions rising in her mind. Anger, yes, but not just to Archer. Anger against her situation, anger at being forcibly detached from Vulcan society, anger at the stigma to which her colleagues would attach to her Human crew mates and ultimately to herself.

Drawing on years of training her emotions were brought under control, an ever present reminder of each Vulcan's daily challenge to keep the violent urges at bay. Outwardly her face had not changed. No change in colour to her cheeks, no facial tick, no line or crease to her skin but T'Pol was all too aware that other Vulcans would have noticed the change in breathing pattern, the increased heart rate, and if she had spoken the words she spoke would not have been as composed as they should be… In years gone by Vulcans who struggled with their emotions would have been pressed into military service of some kind however T'Pol's aptitude for science had spared her further emotional turmoil. It also perhaps explained her fascination for Humans and envy of their ability to accept emotion.

T'Pol scanned the horizon. A decision was needed. Meditation had been insufficient so physical exercise must be the most logical alternative treatment. A hiking group would be climbing the nearby snow covered mountain tomorrow midday and she would join those army recruits to tire her body and finally achieve the peace & tranquility. The hike was designed to be arduous stretching the recruits to their limits but to a fit Vulcan, in weakened gravity, it would be just what the doctor ordered. A pause… She was again using Human phases, a point which had been made to her before by her colleagues. Going native. She breathed deeply. Increased Human contact would only exacerbate the possibility of further embarrassment.


	2. A mistake

The Human StarFleet Command her accepted her request with reluctance. A Vulcan request was treated seriously because to upset the Vulcans was politically unwise. StarFleet knew exactly how much they relied on Vulcan to be a friendly allay. Since finding out that Earth was not alone, although sci-fi minds have dreamed of this for so long, the frightening reality of Earth's interplanetary neighbours had concentrated minds on seeking alliances and technological help. A weak and vulnerable Earth would be easy pickings to the older more powerful alien civilisations however Vulcan seemed to be genuinely interested in Human development - although it had to be said that they hindered it as much as they helped in an attempt to ensure Human-alien contact was as confrontation free as Vulcanly possible, ie to be allowed only as a last resort.

T'Pol was allowed to join as an observer with instructions that she should remain at the back of the group and not to interfere with the exercise. The temperature was now -10 and her hiking clothing seemed insufficient to keep the icy fingers of the North wind from sending shivers through her body. It seemed to be having a similar effect on the recruits however they were laughing & joking while dancing from foot to foot. Stamping life into their cold boots. After a brief interaction with T'Pol, the sergeant in charge gave the order, and they jogged off at a pace designed to be maintained for long periods of time. The recruit voices chanting in return to the drill sergeant's tune. T'Pol listened to the group rhythm as she kept pace easily, her muscles used to a far higher gravity than Earth provided. She would have preferred a faster pace but kept at the back as instructed. She noticed a few other observers who were also present. Their yellow vests standing out amongst the sea of white camouflage army issue snow gear. Her understanding was that they were locals and under the same instructions as her.

Once past the civilised town borders the path rose steeply winding between fir trees and the occasional stream. The silence of the forest and the lack of wildlife made the Human noise echo at first but soon the group settled into the serious business of staying upright on treacherous snow covered ground. The town was now 10 miles behind them and the snow was falling heavily again.

This had been a mistake. The initial heat which T'Pol's muscles had generated with the exercise had worn off and now the cold was seeping into her body. Vulcan was a hot planet, a desert planet, and Vulcan physiology was designed for these temperatures. Daytime would be around 50 degrees centigrade but in summer the temperature would regularly exceed 65 degrees centigrade. Her breath now hurt to take into her lungs and the shivers which wracked her frame made her teeth clash together uncontrollably. Vulcan cold weather clothing was not designed for Earth's temperatures. The cloth was insulating to be comfortable around the Vulcan compound and even then staff used portable heaters. This was a serious error. How could she had been so disdainful of the Human jacket & trousers she had been offered by the sergeant.

"I do not require Human garments. Vulcan clothing is quite sufficient." she had said. Polite perhaps but the sergeant had noted the distinction she made between Human and Vulcan, had noted that she kept far away from the group and definitely had paid her no further attention from that point. They believe that Vulcans are superior, which Vulcan civilisation and technology amply demonstrated, however Surak would not have taught that this superiority should manifest itself in pride and distain.

The group ahead was now in single file climbing high into the mountain. As the path wound back & forth the lead group disappeared from view. Through the snow she could make out two yellow vests ahead but she was falling behind, her body unnaturally heavy with the cold. T'Pol stumbled over a hidden tree root and landed on both knees her breath coming in sharp bursts. The last yellow vest ahead had disappeared. She called out. Nothing. Snow continued to fall all around. Stupid fatal mistake. Vulcan physiology had no answer to the cold.

Rising to her feet she sprinted slowly to the corner calling out as she did so. Her voice disappeared into the thickness of the tree cover. Frantically rummaging in her Vulcan winter pack she saw again the superiority flaw as it contained nothing to alert her companions that she was in trouble. Surely the Humans would realise that she had not followed but how soon. Cold slowed T'Pols thoughts. Too far to turn back and the route of footprints was now all but gone in the new snow. Pretty flakes caught her eyes, so clean, so fresh, all a miracle of science.

She shook her head to clear it. Humans disliked Vulcans, not all of them, but enough to feel unwelcome wherever she went. Would they knowingly desert her though? When would a search party come combing the mountain and what would they find. T'Pol raised herself up on her feet again and head bent against the wind pushed onwards. Her mind felt more tranquil an ironic end to her quest. Success in failure. Eyes blinked less frequently against the snow, legs which she thought were walking were actually shuffling, arms hung limply at her side and she fell forwards into sleep.


	3. Body to body

Gradually T'Pol became awake. She felt warm, hypothermia? No, contentment, peace, odd. Emotions rose one by one into her mind but not with the usual fight for control which was her Vulcan birthright. She opened an eye and took in the roof on pine needles above blocking out the stars. A crackle of a burning branch and flicker of light in the darkness, a fire. She stretched out her senses, the material of her garment was different and she was lying on a soft carpet which MOVED. Hot breath blew against her ear. She was touching another body and the contentment she had felt earlier was another mind. Her fingers moved slightly and she made out the soft hairs of another arm.

The other mind became awake, flicking through emotions with dizzying speed. "Are you awake?" a male voice asked.

"Yes. Are you with StarFleet military?" she asked.

"Yes on secondment, I was an observer today. I saw you at the briefing but you were engrossed in your reading". Amusement in his tone.

T'Pol shifted and alarm shot through her. When she tried to move her arm she was moving two arms.

"Hold on", said the male voice. "We're both in the same clothing. It's an old trick to warm someone up quickly by sharing body heat." T'Pol's eye's noted her Vulcan gear drying on a branch hanging over the fire. "I had to warm you up fast to avoid you going into shock from hyperthermia. When your clothes are dry we can make plans to get you home".

T'Pol noted that she was in her underwear as was her rescuer. Shared warmth maybe but the Human probably did not comprehend there was more being shared than that. Vulcans are touch telepaths and his mind was as fully connected with her as was his skin. "Thank you for your assistance", she spoke quickly to avoid embarrassment, "My name is T'Pol".

"Sergeant Smith, call me Rob", he replied. "I'm military security. Looking after StarFleet's interests Earth-side. There are a lot of people who don't want the Enterprise mission to succeed and since you are to be Enterprise crew I was given babysitting duties when you applied for this mountain yomp. I thought Vulcans were more cautious. Why did you want to go mountaineering in this weather?"

Although Vulcans had not determined whether Human latent telepathic ability might create a mind-link T'Pol felt this amount of bodily contact might make secrecy impossible. She decided that honesty was the best policy. "I needed strenuous exercise to help settle my mind for dealing with the challenges ahead. The mission is the first of it's kind for any Vulcan. To be on a spacecraft with so many emotional minds will be difficult."

T'Pol found herself bouncing lightly up and down as the sergeant laughed. Her mind felt his humour at what she had said. "I'll bet that is the understatement of the year. This is mainly an American mission and those guys are a bag full of emotions which they share widely and loudly. I love them but sometimes it can be too much and you need a bit of space."

"Your accent is different to the Humans I have been in contact with over the last year", she said, "May I ask where you were born?"

"England. I'm British. Ex-SAS and on secondment to StarFleet. There are American factions which don't approve of what they see as an unpatriotic liaison with aliens. These factions are armed too so StarFleet is trying to mitigate all eventualities including the fact that not all StarFleet personnel are fully behind this venture. I have no links in America or to StarFleet. My transfer is temporary but it was too good an opportunity to miss. Frankly I think the Americans chose a Brit because they think we're as emotionally repressed as Vulcans. In that way we'd have more in common. When you join your crew you'll find another Brit on security detail, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed. We've not met but I've heard stories about him. He'll be in charge of the Enterprise armoury. If the rumours are right then it's something that will suit Malcolm down to the ground as he's always been keen on making things explode."

Humour. A kind of body-hug. Fascinating. She moved again and tried to get comfortable.

His emotions flared, alarm, embarrassment. "I'm sorry T'pol, but could you not move so much please."

She ceased moving. Embarrassment, relief. "I apologise if I caused you discomfort, it was unintended." Odd. Then the situation dawned on T'Pol. Bodies, both male and female, acted out their own desires sometimes without the hosts notice or approval.

Think of a distraction. What? British. What did she recall of the planet's diverse population. A small island located beside the continent of Europe which had once ruled an empire covering almost a third of the planet. Vulcan's visiting their capital had complained that the universal translator had struggled to understand the different dialects but had approved of the British politeness and rules of behaviour which made interactions with them simple to plan albeit sometimes difficult to translate.

"Have you visited Vulcan?" she asked.

"Yes, as part of the initial cultural exchange programme. I was there for 1 month near the Vulcan Science Academy at ShiKahr. It was incredible but I was a walking waterfall. I have never felt so hot and uncomfortable. I'm not a lover of heat," he smiled, "I burst in flames at around 21 degrees centigrade. When I got back to Earth my skin was peeling for weeks."

T'Pol felt his humour rising again. Here they were in a dangerous situation but he seemed to be enjoying himself. What was the phrase she had read about the British colonial past? 'Mad dogs & Englishmen out in the midday sun'. Yes, it would appear quite apt. Linked as they were she felt calm, more calm than she had felt in years. "What is our prognosis?".

The sergeant shifted under her, "Well I've raised the alarm but the blizzard is making flights impossible at the moment. We're here for the night. I think your clothes should be dry by now. How do you feel now? Ready for a swap?".

They quickly changed clothes with snow falling around them and then back under the tree branches shivering. T'Pol noted that the sergeant's teeth were chattering as much as her own. A small victory but she was glad that her weakness was not on its own. As the Human saying went, 'misery loves company'.


	4. Wolves

A cry came from the darkness. A lone howl that spoke to the primeval part of the brain, which conjured up thoughts of dangerous sharp toothed mouths, red and hot, designed to rip and tear.

"That's not a good sign," murmured the sergeant, "I hope all those hippies understood the impact of reintroducing apex predators near to Human populations. Does your Vulcan survival pack by chance include a phaser?"

"No," said T'Pol, "Vulcan diplomats are not allowed to be armed on Earth. What was that noise?". As if on cue more voices joined the howling, reverberating through the mountain.

"Wolves. Apex predators in this part of America. You've seen Human canine pets, dogs? Well this is the country cousin. Bigger, badder and most definitely hungrier. I don't want to alarm you but there have been attacks on Humans up here recently. I have a service issue revolver with me. I would have preferred a phaser but our weapon power packs are still affected by the cold and can be temperamental. I left mine back at the office. We will just have to outsmart them", he smiled at her, "after all WE are the true apex predator and it's time they understood that."

Emotions. Unpredictable at best and yet T'Pol still felt a residual calm. Their brief connection had allowed her to gather her wits. "Quadrupeds vs bipeds. A struggle throughout time, one fleet of foot with natural weapons, the other with the capacity to think laterally and solve problems." She looked around. "Are these wolves afraid of fire?"

"Not afraid enough for my liking but we can increase that fear." He smiled reassuringly again at her. "If you are representative of your people then I'm getting to like Vulcans more and more. Calm under pressure - I approve."

There was a crack of a branch to their right and in the firelight a reflection of two yellow eyes could be made out in the darkness. Panting noises to the rear and the crunch of snow as feet ran swiftly between the trees.

"Okay T'Pol, up the tree if you please. As quick as you can." It was a small fir with even smaller branches. T'Pol climbed as fast as she dared but her feet slipped and scrabbled for purchase as the branches bent and snapped. "Can you get any higher?" called the sergeant.

"The branches will not bear my weight any higher" she called down. The distance to the ground was higher than a tall leap however not by much. A growl came from below and then a cry as the sergeant lashed out with first his fist and then a lit branch. More running feet and then the revolver fired, so loud in the quiet, it's muzzle glowing briefly.

"You won't be trying that again in a hurry" came the voice from below. "I can make out 5 wolves, maybe 7, so the luck is with us tonight. This tree's too small for us both to climb so I'll stay down here. I'm also nearest to the warm fire, there is always a silver lining if you look hard enough".

T'Pol peered down through the branches. She wanted to go back down to help but that was illogical. She had no weapon and the sergeant would end up protecting two people rather than concentrating on one. She could make out shadow movement at the edge of the fire light. Then a series of flashing bodies driving in unison to the tree base, the revolver fired twice more and then the sounds of a fight. A loud shout, perhaps a battle cry and it was quiet again. The watching eyes had disappeared.

"You can come down now" the sergeant called and T'Pol swiftly descended.

"Are you hurt?"

"Not badly but I'll need something on my hand. Bastard bit me and I swear I don't think I managed to shoot any of them. Just too dark to spot them and they move so damn quick. It would have been a shame too. I'm a bit of a nature lover myself. Live & let live." She saw his white teeth shine in the firelight again. That whirlwind of emotions. How did Humans do this. A Vulcan faced with this sort of provocation would require days of meditation to re-establish proper control. The primeval brain would be full of violence. "Before we bed down for the night lets find a tree which we can both climb."

The night contained fitful sleep. They split the watch allowing 2 hours of sleep each. T'Pol's insistence that Vulcan's could last days without sleep had fallen on deaf ears. T'Pol heard the superiority in her voice and wisely backed down in the face of the sergeant's stubbornness. At 2am they saw lights combing the mountain side and the sound of a shuttlecraft's jets. Their bio-signs were instantly recognised and the shuttle landed not more than 30 meters away. Lights sprang into action as the hatch opened and a British voice called out, "Sub-commander T'Pol? Are you hurt?"

It turned out that Enterprise had been informed and Lieutenant Reed had insisted that his team took full charge of the recovery mission. T'Pol looked at his concerned face and listened to him dressing down the sergeant for allowing her to come up the mountain without first informing Enterprise. Aggression in his tone & manner, swift clipped sentences giving information and demanding responses, understanding once the situation had been explained by T'Pol and acceptance of the chain of command. A professional and a good sign. If the rest of the Enterprise crew were similarly trained then the mission would perhaps be less of an ordeal than she originally thought.

They flew the short distance back to the Vulcan Compound and T'Pol watched Reed give a brief but firm handshake to the sergeant. One professional to another.

"Sub-Commander, l would like to take you directly to Enterprise lodgings if you don't mind. Any personal effects can be transferred onwards from the Vulcan Compound. Captain Archer is looking forward to meeting you." 

"Thank you Lieutenant. Sergeant Smith will you be joining us on Enterprise?"

"Sorry Ma'am, my jurisdiction ends here. I'll be joining the Ambassador Soval detail. No peace for the wicked."

T'Pol glanced backwards to watch Reed re-entering the shuttle. She looked back at the sergeant and impulsively put out her hand. "Thank you for your help sergeant, I will not forget your bravery, I am in your debt."

The sergeant looked shocked but then clasped her hand in his, the larger hand engulfing her smaller hand, but with a gentleness in stark contrast to his earlier heroics. "Thanks Sub-Commander. As the Vulcan's say 'Live long & prosper'".


End file.
